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Hello

I bought 2 new ottos last weekend and one has died already. I'm worried they are not eating as I haven't seen them eat anything except sucking on algae. I've tried algae pellets I feed to the BNS, blood forms and as a last resort last night tried flakes.

Also, now I only have one Otto I should probably get him a friend. How many is a good number?

Any tips gratefully received.

thanks!

Ottos are alge eaters and will suck on the alge. Throw in some Zucinnie or Letucs. You will need at least 6 of them to be in the best condition.

Last edited by riri1 at 29-Sep-2005 19:25

You should probably get a few more another 5 would be a great start, but first how big is the tank? what else is in it?

They do mooch off the algae, bottom stuffes, and other stuffes like that The algae wafers and bottom feeder wafers are great, unless they are big, and really hungry you may not notice just how much they are eating, but they will Also most fresh veggies, that have been parched (not boiled, pop into microwave for 15 seconds to soften a bit, then cool it off) will be loved and appreciated...

Best of luck,
Heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

thanks guys

I would have bought more last week but the LFS only had 2 left. The tank is a 10g with a (beautiful) betta. Will 5-6 be ok? I'm just some peaceful tankmates for Otis!

Otos like company and eat algae. It's hard to keep them alive without any algae. You can put rocks in a jar of water in the sunlight to grow algae for them. They will also eat some vegetables and occasionally sinking fish foods. While they do enjoy vegetables as a treat they are much healthier with algae to eat.

They will eat the Algae that they'll find in the tank & they will also eat Algae tablets & other vegetables.


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It's time for the shameless plug again ... but seriously, this should tell you all you need to know. My 10 years' worth of otocinclus keeping in one handy article!

Otocinclus Article


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks for that. We'll I've no shortage of algae so there's plenty for them to munch on. I took a water sample into the fish shop and all parameters were ok. The death might have just been one of those things - or maybe he didn't like the bike ride home :%) (I did ride back very carefully)! I'll do a water change over the weekend and buy a few more.

Thanks for the article - lots of great tips for keeping my Ottos happy and healthy!

My latest three Otocinclus went home via bicycle in my rucksack. But I spent a good deal of time acclimatising them when I got them home. Which helps a LOT with Otocinclus. Also, I picked the biggest in the store. Small ones are sometimes a tad weaker than those that have done some growing. However, my LFS makes sure that they either have algae or a reasonable substitute when they arrive, so they were reasonably fed before I picked them up, which helps IMMENSELY with Otocinclus.

Now all I have to do is find a new supply of Hikari wafers because they're eating me out of house and home along with the Panda Corys


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002